Hen with problems laying

[Abby P]

I have a young hen who has had problems laying eggs ever since she started laying. She lays a lot of soft eggs or just broken eggs off her roost. She has gone eggbound once. She is a barred rock.

My hens eat lots of scraps (bread, veggies, pumpkins) and have a good crumble food. I don’t give them many treats.

The other hens who are the same age have never had any problems. It’s just her. Tonight I noticed she was squatting a little bit, but she was eating a spaghetti squash and would walk around. I soaked her because her bum was a little gunked up. She never passed an egg though.

Is there anything I can do for her on a
daily basis? Crushed up calcium??

 

[SilverBirds]

Stop feeding table scraps. Those fall into the treat category and should be fed minimally.

What type of food are you feeding?

 

[Abby P]

Stop feeding table scraps. Those fall into the treat category and should be fed minimally.

What type of food are you feeding?

Nutrena NatureWise 16% Layer Poultry Feed Crumbles

 

[Abby P]

Update: her comb is more pale this morning and she had a little more discharge (not much though). I’m thinking it’s vent gleet? It does not seem as bad as pictures I see on the internet but it’s the same color and her vent isn’t that swollen. I gave her some Greek yogurt and added probiotics to her water. I thought it could be sour crop but her crop appeared empty to me this morning and I do not smell anything coming from her beak.

 

[SilverBirds]

Update: her comb is more pale this morning and she had a little more discharge (not much though). I’m thinking it’s vent gleet? It does not seem as bad as pictures I see on the internet but it’s the same color and her vent isn’t that swollen. I gave her some Greek yogurt and added probiotics to her water. I thought it could be sour crop but her crop appeared empty to me this morning and I do not smell anything coming from her beak.

Can you post pictures?

 

[WingsysRoost]

What is her weight and general body condition like?

 

[Abby P]

What is her weight and general body condition like?

Apart from her egg laying problems and whatever is going on, she seems rather healthy. I've never weighed her. She is the chicken in my profile picture. She has always had a floppy comb but it's a little pale and not bright red like it usually is. She's my sweetest girl so don't want anything bad to happen to her.

 

[coach723]

Pictures would be helpful. I agree with stopping all the treats. Some birds can have more issues with calcium absorption than others, some greens in particular can interfere with it. Do they have access to oyster shell all the time in a separate feeder?
Is she still pooping? Does it look normal? Pictures of droppings might be helpful also.

 

[Abby P]

Pictures would be helpful. I agree with stopping all the treats. Some birds can have more issues with calcium absorption than others, some greens in particular can interfere with it. Do they have access to oyster shell all the time in a separate feeder?
Is she still pooping? Does it look normal? Pictures of droppings might be helpful also.

I'm at work currently but can post pictures when I get home. I haven't seen normal droppings from her - it's mostly liquid.

 

[Abby P]